10 Video Streaming Services Worth a Look (Slideshow)

With YouTube just entering the fray by offering 3,000 more movies for rent, the Internet on-demand video market is more crowded than ever. It can be a confusing mess sometimes. That's where we come in. We went through the horrible, awful trouble of laying around in bed for a few days and watching streamed movies and television shows. It was a gargantuan effort lifting all of that take-out food to our atrophied, albeit entertained, gullets. Here is a primer on 10 of the biggest video streaming services so you can sift through the mess, relax and watch some movies.

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Internet Video Streaming Services

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Price: $7.99 a month for unlimited access to the streaming library
Content: A variety of content that is updated often from cool documentaries to entire runs of TV shows like LOST. Don’t come here looking for new blockbusters, though. The service can play content via your browser, smartphone, Roku box or any of the major video game consoles. The company also just added an Android player.
Where you find it: Netflix.com, iOS apps, Android apps running Android 2.2 or higher, Roku boxes, Apple TV, PS3, Wii, Xbox 360, select networked HDTVs, select networked Blu-ray players.
Bottom line: The price can’t be beat and the content is varied although the new stuff doesn’t come as often as you’d like. Still, it’s a great place to get caught up on classic TV shows.

Price: Varies. $3.99 for a 24 hour rental of a new movie. $2.99 for a three day rental of an old movie. $1.99 or $0.99 for outright purchase of a TV episode.
Content: Amazon is pretty well stocked. It has a massive amount of content. It won’t have everything you are looking for, but it should have about 90 percent of it. In our searches, the system only failed us on several occasions, and usually with foreign and indie films.
Where you find it: Amazon.com, select HDTVs, select Blu-ray players.
Bottom line: Amazon truly is the jack-of-all-trades. Its streaming movie selection is about as varied as its, um, everything else selection. You could do a lot worse than setting your browser here.

Price: $7.99 per month for unlimited viewing
Content: Regular Hulu still offers some TV shows and the occasional movie for free. The archived content, however, requires a Plus membership. It’s worth it, though. Hulu Plus has tons of stuff. Just about every episode of every current TV show. Tons of full-runs of older shows. The same goes for older movies and the occasional blockbuster. It is to TV what Netflix Instant is to movies.
Where you find it: www.hulu.com, iOS devices, Roku boxes, Xbox 360, PS3, select HDTVs, select Blu-ray players, Android coming soon.
Bottom line: If you have cable, Hulu Plus is a bust. If you don’t feel like being at the mercy of the cable companies, however, then it’s perfect. The shows and movies stream perfectly and you can now watch it all on your smartphone or video game console. $7.99 sure beats $60 or more.

Price: HBO subscription cost. Varies.
Content: This is your one-stop shop to stream episodes of just about every HBO show. HBO has some good stuff. You know you need to catch up on The Wire so you know what your friends are talking about at parties.
Where you find it: www.hbogo.com, iOS devices, select Android devices
Bottom line: HBO subscriptions can be pricey but now you can take them on the go. The service offers smartphone applications and the ability to watch online. Hint. If your parents have a subscription you can use their access code. Shh.

Price: $2 for two days
Content: Vudu’s hook is they offer new releases the day they come out on DVD. As such, they have tons and tons of new content. There is also a surprising amount of indie and art flicks and all of it can be watched on your PS3, your computer or applicable Blu-Ray players.
Where you find it: select HDTVs, select Blu-ray players, PS3
Bottom line: More content than iTunes or Amazon at half the price for twice the amount of time. How can they do that? It makes sense when you learn they are owned by Walmart. Still, it’s a mighty cool service and it’s not like Apple or Amazon are struggling mom and pops. Highly recommended.

Price: $3.99 for new releases for 24 hours. $2.99 for old stuff. The usual.
Content: Nothing to write home about. They have some stuff. They are lacking some other stuff. Not as complete as the other $3.99 a pop services. CinemaNow does offer "collections" once in a while which can delve into more interesting fare. For instance, they offer a good chunk of the movies shown at the 2011 Tribeca film festival.
Where you find it: www.cinemanow.com, select HDTVs, networked Blu-ray players.
Bottom line: This Best Buy-owned entity is, well, serviceable. It could use a big content boost and, barring that, could use a price reduction. As it stands it offers nothing too special. Might be worth it to peruse their collections, though.

Price: $3.99 for new stuff and $2.99 for older movies. You get them for 24 hours.
Content: Just 3,000 movies. These are mostly blockbusters and classics. Nothing too obscure to be found here, yet. It’s great for catching something recent you may have missed, however.
Where you find it: YouTube.com
Bottom line: YouTube is the new kid on the block and it shows. Just 3,000 movies .The pricing scheme may be a turn-off to some, as well. $3.99 for only a day? What is this, Blockbuster Video in 1995? For now, stick to cute cats and video blogs.

Price: $3.99 for 24 hour rental of movies. $2.99 to buy TV shows and $0.99 to rent them.
Content: Apple has been at this a long time. As such, they’ve built up a comprehensive library of content. It is not without its holes, however. We found in our studies it offers around the same content as Amazon. Light on the foreign and indies. Heavy on the blockbusters and the junk.
Where you find it: Just click on the ubiquitous iTunes logo on your computer. Also works on Apple TV and iOS devices.
Bottom line: This is the old grandfather of streaming video services. It works. It has great content. The only drawback is downloading can sometimes take a while and playback can sometimes be spotty. You can put everything right on your iOS device, though. That is handy.

Price: $9.95 a month for unlimited viewing
Content: TotalVid is an odd duck. Consider it the Netflix Instant of self-help. There is tons of content here, but its mostly stuff like yoga videos and exercise training routines. These are not your garden variety movies and television shows. Still, it’s cool there is a forum for this stuff.
Where you find it: www.totalvid.com
Bottom line: If you are looking to be entertained this is not the service for you. If you are trying to take life by the horns and better yourself, then this might be just the ticket. The price is right and the content is cool, albeit bizarre. Finally, I can learn how to kickbox.

Price: Free
Content: Not a lot to speak of. Mostly just clips and previews. Veoh is a dumping ground for studios to advertise their content, not to show it. Once in a while you can find an entire episode of a TV show. Don’t count on it, though.
Where you find it: www.veoh.com
Bottom line: If you are absolutely bored and your wallet is a deserted wasteland then this might be a good pick for you. Otherwise, keep surfing.